Banned Ad Used Jesus' Image to Market Cell Phones Around Easter
A United Kingdom-based mobile phone retailer has gotten one of its advertisements banned by an advertising watchdog group for using a cartoon image of Jesus to sell its products.
The Phones4U ad depicts Jesus smiling, winking and giving a thumbs-up just above text that reads, “Miraculous deals on Samsung Galaxy Android phones.” The image appeared as a part of a national ad campaign that the retailer ran around Easter time.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a watchdog group that ensures decent and honest advertising in the United Kingdom, says they received 98 complaints saying that the advertisements (there were two of them) were offensive.
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“We considered that, although the ads were intended to be light-hearted and humorous, their depiction of Jesus winking and holding a thumbs-up sign, with the text 'Miraculous' deals during Easter, the Christian Holy Week which celebrated Christ's resurrection, gave the impression that they were mocking and belittling core Christian beliefs,” an ASA assessment of the advertisement says.
“We agreed that the ads were disrespectful to the Christian faith and were likely to cause serious offense, particularly to Christians.”
Phones4U responded by saying that they understood the complaints and, in hindsight, regretted causing any offense.
Their intention, they said, was to advertise using a “light-hearted, positive and contemporary image of Christianity relevant to the Easter weekend.”
Phones4U issued an apology to everyone who might have been offended by the ad, and had also issued individual apologies to those who had directly contacted the company to complain. As a result of these direct complaints the company withdrew the ads and said they wouldn't run any like it again.
